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This lovely pickle is a fantastic way to use various summer veg gluts, and overgrown courgettes are one of my favourites. You can alter the recipe according to what you have, and chop and change the spices to suit your taste, too. Makes about 10 jars.

1kg courgettes, unpeeled if small, peeled if huge, cut into 1cm dice (or use pumpkin later in the season)

1kg red or green tomatoes, scalded, skinned and roughly chopped (or 1kg plums, stoned and chopped)

1kg cooking or eating apples, peeled and diced

500g onions, peeled and diced

500g sultanas or raisins

500g light brown sugar

750ml white-wine or cider vinegar, made up to 1 litre with water

1-3 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp salt

For the spice bag

1 thumb-sized nugget of fresh or dried ginger, roughly chopped

12 cloves

12 black peppercorns

1 (generous) tsp coriander seeds

A few blades of mace

Put the vegetables and fruit in a large, heavy-based pan with the sultanas or raisins, sugar, vinegar and water, chilli flakes and salt.

Make up the spice bag by tying all the spices in a square of muslin or cotton. Add the spice bag to the pan, pushing it into the middle.

Heat the mixture gently, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours, uncovered, stirring regularly to ensure it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. The chutney is ready when it is rich, thick and reduced, and parts to reveal the base of the pan when a wooden spoon is dragged through it. If it starts to dry out before this stage is reached, add a little boiling water.

Pot up the chutney while still warm (but not boiling hot) in sterilised jars with plastic-coated screw-top lids (essential to stop the vinegar interacting with the metal). Leave to mature for at least two weeks – ideally two months – before serving. ·

Tomatoes and chillies unite to form these small yet explosive delights.

Been busy trying to take my mind off of incredibly dark places , so this week I’ve been mostly making Elderflower Cider, Sugar wash , Summer Ale , Whispering Wheat Ale , Souper Mix , Rhubarb Ketchup , Cauliflower A La Greque and this little recipe of fire.

Transplanting seeds etc etc.

Liquorice Basil , Genoan Basil , Purple Cherokee Tomatos , Wormwood , Chamomile, Blue Hopi Corn , Gourds a plenty. : Giant African , Birdhouse and small ornamental. Enorma Beans.

Not my normal , because I’ve made a rough tomato sauce to make it go further.

It’s flaming hot.

Makes 2 x 112g jars

Ingredients

• 250g tomatoes
• 100g hot chillies, such as Scotch Bonnets
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 4 fat garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 100g shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• 50ml olive or hempseed oil

Directions

Drop the tomatoes into a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds, then scoop them out.

Peel off the skins.

Remove the stalks and calyxes from the chillies.

The seeds and membranes inside the chilli contain most of the heat: you can choose to leave all the seeds in or, for a less intense paste, halve the chillies and cut at least some of the seeds out.

To be honest, if you use Scotch Bonnets, the paste will be pretty fiery whatever you do!

Chop the chillies roughly.

Put the caraway, cumin and coriander in a dry frying pan and toast for a couple of minutes, shaking the pan to make sure they don’t burn.

Put the skinned tomatoes, chillies, toasted spices, garlic, shallots and salt in a food processor and blitz until well blended.

Tip into a small saucepan and heat until boiling then simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced and starting to thicken.

Leave to cool.

Pack into warm, sterilised jars, leaving a 1cm gap at the top.

Pour oil over the paste to completely cover it.

Seal the jars.

Store in the fridge and use within 4 months.

If you want to extend the shelf life of the paste, pack in small, sealable containers and freeze.

Once opened, keep in the fridge, making sure the paste in the jar is completely covered by a layer of oil.

TTFN

Prep time:
20 mins + 12 hours standing
Cook time:
15 mins
Makes:
4 large jars

3-4 tlarge cucumbers, very thinly sliced (about 12 cups)
4 large onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
½ cup salt
3½ cups sugar
4 cups white vinegar
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery seed
2 tbsp mustard seed
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Place sliced cucumber and onions in a large, non-corrosive bowl, sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water.

Leave at least 12 hours then drain off all liquid.

Place the sugar, vinegar, turmeric, celery, mustard and garlic in a large pot and bring to the boil over high heat.

Add the drained cucumbers and onions.

As soon as the liquid boils remove from heat and spoon into sterilised jars, leaving 1cm at the top.

Screw down tightly with plastic lids and store in a cool place.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30-45 mins

Serves 6-8 – freezes well

50g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds, finely ground
750g beetroot, cut into small pieces
750ml chicken or vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Soften onion in butter and oil, add cumin seeds. Add beetroot chunks and then add stock. Simmer for 30 mins, or till beetroot is tender. Puree the soup, return to the pan and season. Serve with a swirl of crème fraîche or yogurt and a few toasted cumin seeds on top.

Right it got a bit frizz , well cool last couple of days so it’s soup invention season.

Serves 4 Cooking time 45 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 rashers of smokey dry cured bacon or lardon equivalent
2 small onions , finely chopped
1 small celeriac , peeled and finely chopped
1 small broccoli head , split into florets
700 ml veg stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon , fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
100 g of fresh baby leaf spinach : I use rainbow bright chard because i love the funky colours
Salt & fresh ground black pepper.

Heat oil in pan , fry bacon until crispy remove and set aside

Fry onions until soft , addd celeriac and broccoli , then cook for 5 minutes.

Add crispy bacon , stock and herbs bring to boil , cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Remove soup from heat , add spinach leaves , stirring in leaves to wilt them.

Blend until smooth , then return to pan .

Season to taste,

Consume

The fragrance of Chrimble: Orange Cloves & Exotic Myrrh in a bottle.

This Lush body oil makes use of the myrrhs anti-infammatory properties , apply liberally to moisturise and nourish your skin or use as a massage lotion.

Peel of 5 oranges or tangerines.
4 Tbsp cloves
400ml sunflower oil
1 tbsp myrrh

Put peel, cloves and oil into blender and blitz until smooth

Pour mixture into glass heatproof bowl and place in pan of boiling water.

Add myrrh , then cover and leave to simmer for 1 hour , making sure the pan does not boil dry.

Take off heat , leave to cool , strain and bottle off.
keeps for 3 months in dark , simply lush.